0 Tuesday January 13, 2004 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com OReTStdhgn atau 8 al Ready or not: Cagers prepare for Spartans Hunter returns to lineup for the first time in a month before a near-capacity crowd Everyone should benefit from Edwards 'decision By Chris Burke Daily Sports Editor Any chance Michigan basketball coach Tommy Amaker is glad that, following Sunday's heartbreaking 59-57 loss to Indiana, the Wolver- ines will have to quickly refocus for next Saturday's game at arch-rival Michi- gan State? "No, not at all." O Well, so much for ? that. But in the Michi- gan lockerroom following the defeat at the hands of the Hoosiers, the post-loss philosophy was mixed. "Personally, I would like to play (Michigan State) tomorrow," Michi- gan point guard Daniel Horton said. Forward Graham Brown dis- agreed. "I think (the week off) is a good thing for us. We need to get back to our own plans, get our chemistry back - we had a couple of guys separating themselves, and I'm sure these guys will refocus, and we'll practice hard this week," Brown said. In spite of Horton's desire to lace the sneakers back up and take on the Spartans immediately, the Wolverines do have four more days to prepare for the in-state show- down. And after the two-point upset at the hands of the Hoosiers, there was no disagreement among the Wolverines as to how important the week of preparation will be. "We have a week off, and we have to come in and get better everyday in practice," Horton said. "(Saturday) is a must-win now. We can't fall behind in the conference. "We're .500 right now, and we have a chance to get right back up there if we go into East Lansing as a team, a unit, a group, we can go in there and win. I feel very confi- dent." That confidence, no doubt, stems partly from last season's dramatic 60-58 victory over the Spartans on Jan. 26 at Crisler Arena. The game marked the first time since the 1997-98 campaign that Michigan had topped its rival. Last year's benchmark win was the dramatic conclusion to a 13- game winning streak by the Wolverines. The situation is much different for Michigan now, as the Wolver- ines find themselves in desperate need of a well-played game, whether it comes in the battle for state supremacy or not. "It doesn't matter who it is," Hor- ton said. "To me everybody is our rival, no matter if it's Michigan State or Penn State or Minnesota. "If we play the type of basketball we're capable of playing, we can beat anybody." BACK IN THE HUNT(ER): Michigan center Chris Hunter finally returned to the Wolverines' lineup on Sunday against the Hoosiers. The sophomore had been rehab- bing following arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Hunter hadn't played since the Wolverines' game against Bowling Green on Dec. 13. Hunter dressed for the Wolver- ines' victory over Northwestern last Wednesday, but did not see any action. On Sunday, the Indiana native entered the contest with just under seven minutes left in the first half. With Amaker easing the big man back into action, Hunter made a decent contribution, notching three blocks in seven minutes of play, while finishing 0-for-2 from the field. FAN-DEMONIUM: Thanks in part to a decent-sized contingent from Indiana, the announced attendance at Crisler for Sunday's game was the largest of the year. The crowd of 13,328 surpassed the previous mark of 12,937 in Crisler at Michigan's win over UCLA on Dec. 27. Crisler's capacity is 13,751. While Indiana was able to take the crowd out of the game by build- ing a 16-point advantage in the sec- ond half, the Michigan fans definitely made an impact as the NAWEED SIKORA Blowin' smoke o Braylon Edwards is coming, back for one more crack. This means the Michigan faithful are doing one of two things right now: rejoicing that the Wolverines' top receiver will be back to lead the corps, or preparing their throats for another season of yelling at good old No. 1 after a dropped ball. In my opinion, it's time to rejoice. Braylon Edwards' inconsistency may have been frustrating to deal with at times, but the bottom line is, he is a weapon for Michigan's offense, and if he were to leave, the Wolverines would not be able to fill that void this upcoming season. Don't get me wrong, Steve Breaston and Jason Avant are both very tal- ented and should be used more, but no player on Michigan's roster can match Edwards' size or after-the- catch playmaking ability. Edwards' return will also help an offense that is losing quarterback John Navarre and tailback Chris Perry. Even though Michigan has young backs ready to step in, such as Jerome Jackson and Pierre Rembert, both of these players saw limited action this season. It may take a year for them to establish them- selves and get experience at the col- lege level before they can be a force for the Wolverines. This puts greater pressure on the passing game to be able to carry the offense. Matt Gutierrez is expected to take over as quarterback, and hav- ing as many experienced receivers on the field as possible will help ease his transition into the starting role. Also, with Gutierrez being a much more mobile quarterback than Navarre, the offense could have a much different look next season. Overall, I believe the Michigan offense benefited from Edwards' decision. Of course, there are two sides to every story, and unfortu- nately for Edwards, the other side of this story is looming. Edwards says one reason he wants to stay is so that he can leave his mark on the Michigan football pro- gram. But what kind of mark he might leave is still up in the air. Numbers-wise, there is no question that this will be a mark of greatness. The junior caught 85 passes for 1,138 yards and 14 touchdowns and is expected to have an even better season nextyear. If he does better these numbers, he will leave with almost every Michigan receiving record in his pocket. But if you look at his discipline problems, his easy drops and what sometimes seems to be a general apathy about making mistakes dur- ing games, this mark could turn out to be negative. I've seen Edwards clearly crushed after Michigan losses, but I've also seen him drop a pass and run back to the huddle as if nothing happened. Edwards also says he wants to stay in order to raise his NFL draft stock, but that he hopes to blend in with his teammates more and stay out of the spotlight. Nobody has to come out a loser in this situation. Edwards doesn't have to turn him- self into a robot either. He can be himself, he can play well, he can raise his draft stock, and Michigan will have a better chance of win- ning, all at the same time. He just needs to show people he cares. He needs to make that catch against Southern Cal. in the Rose Bowl. And if he doesn't make that catch, he needs to get mad at him- self about it All fans, deep down, know what a crucial part of the offense he will be next year. I'm excited about Edwards' decision to return because of how it will help Michigan. And even though he is making the best decision for himself, I think the result will be beneficial for both Edwards and the Wolverines. Naweed Sikora can be reached at nsikora@umich.edu. RYAN WEINER/Daily Michigan point guard Daniel Horton drives to the rim against Indiana on Sunday. Horton had 17 points in Michigan's victory over Michigan State last season. Wolverines rallied late. The noise level was most noticeable when Indiana was called for a five-sec- ond violation on an inbounds pass with less than a minute to go, giv- ing Michigan a chance to tie the game. "The crowd was tough," Indiana forward A.J. Moye said. "I was happy we got that lead." Crowley By Ellen McGarrlty Daily Sports Writer waiti During Saturday's women's basketball game against Indi- ana, 6-foot-2 freshman Leslie Crowley sat silently on the Michigan bench. That's where you'll normally find Crowley - and if it weren't for her youthful face, most would probably guess that she was just another assistant. She watched the sweat and determi- nation on the faces of senior Stephanie Gandy and freshman Kelly Helvey as they were subbed in and out of the game. She listened as Michigan coach Cheryl Burnett yelled plays to the team. F She was forced to do the same during Michigan's 20-point loss to Minnesota, Crowley as well as its 11-point loss to Seton Hall over Christmas break - no doubt wondering if her presence on the court could have made a difference. This is not what Crowley signed up for two years ago. But it is her reality. Crowley committed to former Michigan coach Sue Gue- vara in December of 2001 during her junior year of high school. Little did she know then that her lifelong dream of playing as a Wolverine was about to be delayed. Shortly after signing on with Guevara, Crowley was walking out of a restaurant when she felt something snap. Her knee gave, and she fell to the ground. "I had never had any problems before," Crowley said. "My knee would always swell, but I would just play through it." Initially, Crowley recovered from the spill, but a few days later, it was obvious that the fall was just the beginning. "I could see something sticking out the side of my leg and ng for her turn was like, 'OK, this is not cool,' " Crowley said. At the hospital, an MRI revealed the problem to be a bone chip, which Crowley compared to the size of a 50-cent piece. The doctors had never seen a bone chip so big and weren't certain what the best solution would be. For the next year, Crowley's knee injury forced her to put basketball playing on hold at Grand Rapids' Lowell High School, where the forward had recently received a Class A All-State honorable mention by the Associated Press after averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game. In December 2002, a year after Crowley's fateful fall, she finally got a break - in a good way this time. Her doc- tor decided to perform an experimental form of surgery on her knee. "It was a cartilage transplant," Crowley said. "So they grew my own cartilage cells in a little petrie dish in a lab." Then Crowley had skin from her shin removed and trans- ferred to the hole in her knee, where the bone chip had popped out. The new cartilage cells were inserted in hopes that the hole would eventually fill in. Now many rehab sessions and one year later, Crowley still has not played. But an X-ray she got a month ago showed that her knee is getting better, even if the process is slower than she would like. In the meantime, Crowley has attended every Michigan practice this season and has been to every game. She admit- ted that it's a weird situation, but that it hasn't stopped her from feeling like part of the team. "I was afraid at first, but (Burnett and the team) have been awesome about it and very supportive," Crowley said. The good news for Crowley is that she should be able to hit the hardwood by May. Because she redshirted this sea- son, she'll get to start for Michigan next year with freshman eligibility. But for now, Crowley can't wait to get back on the court. "It's been so long," Crowley said. " I miss it a lot." FILE PHOTO Michigan gymnast Elise Ray is ready to begin competing again after sitting out all of last season with an Injury to her shoulder. The return of the former All-American will make Michigan an immediate national title contender. Ray a ous to return to the mat By Jeremy Antar Daily Sports Writer I 800 feet of Gulf Beach Frontage . 2 Large Outdoor Swimming Pools Sailboat, Jet Ski & Parasail Rentals - Lazy River Ride & Water Slide Huge Beachfront Hot Tub . Volleyball Suites up to 12 people Only weeks before the 2003 season was set to begin, Elise Ray suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. She knew that the road to recovery would be long and drain- ing, and it would have been easy for Ray to put all her time and energy into rehabbing her shoulder. But even though she was unable to compete, her dedi- cation to the Michigan women's gymnastics team never wavered. "I was really bummed out, and it took me a little while to get over it," Ray said. "But then I realized that these things happen, and it comes with the territory of sport. I knew I had to be there for my team, so my focus com- nletely shift-d to dAing anvthing I cnuld to heln the cally competing." The time off has energized Ray, and she said she is "fired up to get back and learn." While goals for a nation- al championship are always in the back of her mind, Ray said she is trying not to look so far ahead. "As of now, I just want to get my confidence back and compete every weekend and feel the team camaraderie." In a sport like gymnastics, in which individual achieve- ments are boldly recognized, it is rare to see a team so dedicated to winning as a unit rather than individuals. "Michigan gymnastics has always prided itself on the team unity and team closeness," Ray said. She noted that if everyone is trying to help the team, they will be doing their best individually, and in turn, individual accomplishments will take care of themselves. Rav greatly values the closeness of the team. and she 0 a